Fast unit selection algorithm for neural network design

In this paper a fast neural network pruning algorithm is presented which is based on an analysis of the weights in a trained network. We demonstrate that this technique selects a lean architecture whilst experiencing no corresponding degradation in performance. Our unit selection algorithm is compared to a state of the art network pruning algorithm taken from the literature and is found to offer several advantages, i.e., its simplicity, its speed and the ability to select the leanest architecture